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You have it backwards, Schills

Reader comment on item: Islam and Islamism: Faith and Ideology
in response to reader comment: I never mentioned throwing money at the problem

Submitted by sara (United States), Jul 4, 2012 at 17:33

Schills, you say:"Your own statements cut against your analysis that Islam is the problem. You wrote, "[t]he fact of the matter is, first Israel and Jews were used as a unifying hate and motivator by many Arab rulers to deflect the hardship they experience under such regimes."

What is cutting against what? So there were (relatively) secular rulers and then there were Islamist ones and Islamist doctrine, and so on, so?

"Look at the history of the region. Arabs took up nationalism precisely because they saw establishment Islam as being non-confrontational and appeasing. "

What is your evidence of this?

It was not until Islamists took nationalists and socialist rhetoric and placed an Islamic veneer on it that they began to draw support. You are looking at the rhetoric and taking it as fact. I am looking at the facts and seeing that the rhetoric does not correspond to them.

I rather think it the other way round. You are using rhetoric as fact and analyzing theories. I am looking purely at the facts. I am very familiar with Islamic rhetoric and bluster, grandiosity and bluffing, because in Arab culture the facade is all that matters, not the realities underneath. It is a deeply corrupt and mendacity laden culture, where honor killings, bravado and tribal chest beating are admired and condoned. You keep skipping over this crucial point I am making, that the failure to recognize the deep cultural and value differences are the greatest impediment to getting along and potential peace.

"I still wonder if you would allow nationalists and secularists to participate in elections, and if so why? Given their use of anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic, anti-Western rhetoric and that they are the genesis of much of the narrative used by Jihadists why allow nationalists and socialists to participate in elections but not Islamists?"

First of all, what does 'you would allow' mean? How would I allow anything? I think I am more laissez-faire than you, with your theoretical intentions of imposing democracy on non-western cultures. Am I missing something here? It is a given that the rhetoric is what it is, see my previous post.

Second, here is the root cause of your misunderstanding. You have it quite backwards. The Jihadists are wagging the dog with their Quranic quotes and fire and brimstone jihad talk, not the other way round. Any politician knows that rule number one is play to your base and echo what they want to hear. The source is, and has always been as it always will be, the Quran and Islam.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (81) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
3Fundamentalism?? Islam Is An Ideology Not A Religion [417 words]Bill HazelbauerDec 12, 2015 13:07227002
Islam and islamists [69 words]gloriaJan 11, 2015 09:53220270
3One needs to read the Quran before coming to any conclusions about Islam [242 words]JillJan 19, 2014 11:23212737
Taqiyya [136 words]TruthtalkerMay 4, 2013 07:24205821
they really are disguised [13 words]jemsOct 24, 2012 07:23200033
1sorry, but moderate Islam is a lie [301 words]gmasterFeb 6, 2012 19:04193153
the real Taqijja uncovered by an Ex-Muslim [66 words]gmasterFeb 7, 2012 21:12193153
What is your solution? [98 words]SchillsJun 25, 2012 13:14193153
I thought you said it was none of our business? [201 words]saraJun 25, 2012 18:27193153
solution? [598 words]gmasterJun 25, 2012 22:34193153
Maybe I misunderstood you [244 words]SchillsJun 26, 2012 01:03193153
Culture and deterrence are the keys [728 words]saraJun 26, 2012 16:47193153
Free elections have occurred [292 words]SchillsJun 28, 2012 12:29193153
Support of Islamist parties [401 words]saraJun 28, 2012 16:06193153
IS the problem Arabs or Islamists? [205 words]SchillsJun 29, 2012 18:45193153
Who cares and what is the difference? [135 words]saraJun 29, 2012 21:28193153
1The Arab invaders of the lands of the civilized and Islamic crusades revisited [329 words]dhimmi no moreJun 30, 2012 07:02193153
Why not exclude every ideology associate with political violence? [499 words]SchillsJul 2, 2012 15:56193153
Western support for Mid East dictators well known. [11 words]SchillsJul 2, 2012 16:57193153
Rice's speech [11 words]SchilllsJul 2, 2012 17:06193153
Faulty supposition, Schills [206 words]saraJul 2, 2012 17:30193153
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Supporting Tyranny has lead to the current situation [231 words]SchillsJul 3, 2012 13:19193153
3Shills and his tablighee nonsense [161 words]dhimmi no moreJul 3, 2012 14:33193153
1Way too Simplistic, Schills [456 words]saraJul 3, 2012 19:56193153
Hopefully the links work [33 words]SchillsJul 4, 2012 13:29193153
I never mentioned throwing money at the problem [183 words]SchillsJul 4, 2012 13:42193153
You have it backwards, Schills [426 words]saraJul 4, 2012 17:33193153
7Tablighees twists and turns never end and why is that our dear Shills? [491 words]dhimmi no moreJul 5, 2012 06:45193153
1Shills is a lost tablighee [154 words]dhimmi no moreJul 5, 2012 17:16193153
To DNM [109 words]saraJul 5, 2012 19:11193153
I hope you find real South Asian Islamists to attack [303 words]SchillsJul 5, 2012 19:13193153
4Our dear Shills and the proof and the pudding! [1258 words]dhimmi no moreJul 7, 2012 07:47193153
2Islamophobia? It is gone and it is replaced by "trolling"! [179 words]dhimmi no moreJul 11, 2012 12:38193153
Thanks for the benefit of the doubt [99 words]SchillsJul 12, 2012 16:20193153
Feel free to exercise your freedom to troll. [160 words]SchillsJul 12, 2012 17:04193153
I think you are seriously undervaluing the influence of Islam [395 words]saraJul 12, 2012 17:16193153
1Trolling and Muslims [330 words]dhimmi no moreJul 12, 2012 18:35193153
1The Middle East was violent before modern Israel and Islam [521 words]SchillsJul 12, 2012 19:50193153
They don't stop until they are 98% of the population [55 words]PrashantJul 13, 2012 00:32193153
The crux of the matter [702 words]saraJul 13, 2012 17:08193153
The crux of the matter [756 words]saraJul 13, 2012 17:10193153
Exactly right, Prashant [176 words]saraJul 13, 2012 17:53193153
Why are you promoting the propaganda of dictators? [411 words]SchillsJul 13, 2012 19:07193153
DNM why do you have a pre-9/11 outlook [103 words]SchillsJul 13, 2012 19:13193153
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